Rachel Davis81 said:Can someone recommend where I should pick up an HDD? I need at least 1TB.
Look, just give me something high-quality. Or, if you can't swing that, at least make sure the price-to-performance ratio isn't a total joke.
Thanks!
Check out the deals over at Micro Center.
Prices start at... $133 So? $220I'm talking about standard drives here, not some specialized high-end versions. $220 If you want speed, go with the Seagate BarraCuda. It’s the fastest option out there, and more importantly, it comes with a 5-year warranty. Most other drives only give you 24 months, which isn't worth the headache.
How much do you actually care about data security and long-term reliability?
Last year, the Seagate IronWolf was Best Buy's top pick for internal drives. It’s a solid, reliable disk.
If you're looking for a system drive, stay far away from those "eco" or "green" models. Also, don't even bother with anything spinning slower than 7200 RPM. You'll regret it.
What kind of business computer are we talking about here? Desktop or laptop? You should probably list the rest of the specs too, because right now I have zero clue what you're working with. For all we know, you might be trying to slap an SSD into some ancient relic that isn't even worth the upgrade.
What’s the point of an SSD for you anyway? What exactly are you hoping to gain by installing one? How much RAM are you running, what's the CPU, and what motherboard are you using?
How could I not be interested? Honestly, I'm just relieved it isn't a hardware failure. Thanks for the heads-up, that info is actually useful. This is exactly what these forums are for 😬
Clearly we aren't on the same wavelength if you can't tell the difference between a Core i7 760 and a G1610... It's obvious they just surf the web, watch YT, and hang out on forums or Facebook without ever touching a game from this century...
In that specific case, I guess you might not notice a gap...
But if you actually ran any application that does real work, you'd have to be blind not to notice the difference...
For Device Manager to even see it, you need the right driver installed. Wipe out all your old graphics drivers first—honestly, just use a tool like DriverUpdate to clean house—and then install the specific version from that link. If you follow those steps and it still doesn't work, then something's actually broken, and you'll need to take the laptop to a repair shop like Geek Squad...
Yeah, looking at it from that angle, the 2011-v3 is definitely the better way to go.
Maybe it'd be smarter to just run two beefier cards on a 2011-v3 platform for the render rig? That way you aren't fighting bandwidth issues or worrying about the GPUs overheating...
I don't think heat should be an issue if you have decent airflow—like two 120mm fans in the front pushing air toward the back🤷—but honestly, there's no point in testing those limits unless you absolutely have to...
1 x ASUS A58M-K, FM2+, AMD A58 FCH (Bolton D2), DDR3, 2 slots 1 x AMD Kaveri A8-Series X4 7650K Processor (3.3GHz, 4MB, 95W, FM2+) BE 1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R, 8x DL, 40x CD-R 1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100 1 x DDR3 RAM 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value 1 x Value 1 x Chieftec libar Mini Tower mATX with 350W PSU, black
$839 , located in ADM. Assembly, testing, and shipping are on me.
1 x ASUS A58M-K, FM2+, AMD A58 FCH (Bolton D2), DDR3, 2 slots 1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R, 8x DL, 40x CD-R 1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100 1 x DDR3 RAM 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value 1 x Chieftec Libra Mini Tower mATX with 350W PSU, black 1 x AMD Kaveri A6-Series X2 7400 Processor (3.9GHz, 1MB, 65W, FM2+) box
$737 , also in ADM.
Graphics are integrated into the CPU. The first build uses a 4-core processor with better graphics, while the second one has 2 cores and weaker graphics. Both will work, but if you can afford it, it's obviously better to go with the stronger (more expensive) option...
I could put an even weaker processor and graphics in there to hit $667, but I wouldn't recommend it ...
1 x ASUS A58M-K, FM2+, AMD A58 FCH (Bolton D2), DDR3, 2 slots 1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R, 8x DL, 40x CD-R 1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100 1 x DDR3 RAM 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value 1 x Chieftec Libra Mini Tower mATX with 350W PSU, black 1 x AMD Kaveri A4-Series X2 7300 Processor (3.8GHz, 1MB, 65W, FM2+) box
For a rendering rig, you’re looking at something like this:
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 Processor (3.20GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 84 W, 1150) Box 1 x Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING G1 S1150 Z97, Intel Z97 Express Chipset 1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 2400MHz, 1.65V, CL11, Savage 4 x Gigabyte GTX 970 Windforce 3X OC 4GB GDDR5, GV-N970WF3OC, 256 bit, 1 x Enermax 1000W Revolution 87+ Series, 80+ GOLD Modular 1 x Samsung 512 GB 850 Pro Series Basic, SSD, 512 GB Capacity, 2.5" 1 x SCYTHE Ninja 3, SCNJ-3000, Socket 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/940 1 x Zalman Z9 PLUS mid tower case. 207(W) x 464(H) x 504(D)mm.
Total (Best Buy estimate): $7017
This motherboard is one of the rare ones actually featuring four PCIEx16 slots—if you run two cards, both get full x16 bandwidth, and if you go with four, they all run at x8. Most other boards out there cap out at an 8+4+4 split, meaning you're stuck with a maximum of three GPUs.
The Windforce 970 is a solid card with decent cooling, great performance, and relatively low power draw. Sure, it's a step down from the 980 or the GTX 980 Ti, but I think this setup offers the best bang for your buck. I suggested the 1000W Enermax unit because it'll handle this whole build without breaking a sweat, even if you're pushing it 24/7. If you decide to jump to four beefier GPUs, you'll need to hunt for a much stronger (and significantly more expensive) power supply since those cards pull way more juice under full load.
Like I said, the CPU isn't the make-or-break factor here, but there's no point in going lower. 8GB of RAM is enough for this specific build. A large SSD with a 10-year warranty should do the trick. If you want to build something more powerful, prepare to shell out another thousand bucks.
And look, you don't have to slap all four GPUs in right away. Start with two, see how the speed looks, and then decide your next move.
Why did I suggest the s1150 platform instead of the newer 2011-3? You can find motherboards with these specs for roughly the same price, but with the 1150 platform, you'll save $667 on the processor. For a 2011-3 build, the cheapest CPU you can get is $1167, which is overkill for a dedicated render machine. Since the CPU and RAM aren't the bottlenecks for Octane, you won't be upgrading this thing much anyway—maybe just adding GPUs—and GPU slots don't change that often.
Now, if this were a general workstation, I'd definitely recommend the 2011-3 platform for the upgrade path and DDR4 support.
Something like this:
1 x Samsung 512 GB 850 Pro Series Basic, SSD, 512 GB Capacity, 2.5" 1 x SCYTHE Ninja 3, SCNJ-3000, Socket 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/940 1 x Zalman Z9 PLUS mid tower case. 207(W) x 464(H) x 504(D)mm. 1 x Intel Core i7-5820K 3.30GHz, 1.5MB, 15MB, 140 W, 2011-3 (no cooler) 1 x Gigabyte GA-X99-Gaming 5, Intel Socket 2011-v3, Intel X99 Express 2 2 x DDR4 16GB (2x8GB) Crucial, 2666Hz, Ballistix Elite DDR4 1 x Fractal Integra M 650W, 80+ BRONZE modular, 36 mo warranty 1 x Gigabyte GTX 980 Windforce 3X, 4GB GDDR5 256-bit, PCI-E 3.0 1 x HDD WD 1TB, 1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB Cache, WD Caviar Black 1 x DELL P2416D 24", 2560x1440, IPS anti-glare, LED edgelight
Total (Best Buy estimate): $6621
I'm sure the guys here can put together something even more sensible. I'm not exactly a desktop PC expert—I just know what's needed for a build like this and why—but when dealing with actual hardware, I always like to ask 😬 for their take...
The folks at Dell finally got around to releasing drivers for Windows 8 😬 Just make sure you double-check what you're downloading—don't accidentally grab the wrong one for 32-bit vs 64-bit Windows...
The Dell Precision is an impressive machine, but honestly, for that kind of money... we're talking over $25k after tax. My god. 🤦And that doesn't even include an SSD. Besides, that's a workstation build—designed for heavy lifting like CAD, engineering, or modeling—not specifically for rendering in Octane.
The whole point of Octane is that you can pair it with practically any modern CPU because it barely touches the processor; it relies almost entirely on the GPUs.
When you're building a dedicated render node, you don't even need a separate monitor, keyboard, or mouse. Just grab a KVM switch and hook both machines up to the same peripherals so you can just toggle between them.
Another thing: people usually go for a dual-monitor setup for a workstation—one screen for active work and another for references... but you'll figure that out as you go.
For a render rig, I'd suggest starting with two GPUs to see how they perform, then adding one or two more later if needed. That’s why I always say you should prioritize a motherboard with as many PCIEx16 slots as possible. It’s enough to get you started; you aren't going to be designing Space Shuttles on day one, and by the time you actually need more power, GPU prices might have finally dropped. 😬
Bryan Taylor6 is spot on; the smartest move here is running two separate machines.
Your first rig should have 32GB of RAM (you’re dead wrong if you think 16GB is enough—you can never have too much RAM), a beefy processor, and one high-end Nvidia card. This is your workstation for modeling and active work. You need serious GPU power here because the software you'll be using relies heavily on CUDA hardware acceleration.
Then you build a second machine dedicated solely to rendering. Octane doesn't touch the CPU for rendering; it's all about the GPUs. They need to be Nvidia cards, and don't bother with SLI—they should run independently so Octane can utilize them most efficiently. Basically, grab a decent CPU, 8-16GB of RAM, and a motherboard with 3 or 4 PCIe x16 slots (the more PCIe lanes for the graphics, the better).
The GPUs can vary (as long as they're all Nvidia), and performance scales geometrically. That means two identical cards will work twice as fast, three will be three times faster, and so on.
The real question is whether you want to reuse this power supply for your next build or if you’re just trying to patch up this current rig. If you're planning on building a new PC down the road, it’d be smart to shell out a little extra now for a decent PSU that’ll last you years—like the one Larry Ortiz5 linked, or even something better. But if you just need something to keep this specific machine running and have zero intention of upgrading it (which isn't really an option anyway since those parts aren't being made anymore), then based on what Michael Jackson10 said—and he's spot on—you could probably get away with a cheaper, lower-tier unit that meets your current needs. Just so we're clear, this PSU happens to cost $67, and don't go thinking Jason Allen3 said anything brilliant, because he didn't 😬
It’s not like there are many choices left anyway; you can barely find them in stores anymore. If the price tag is too high, maybe check eBay for some used ones. As for that power supply, I’d swap it out immediately if I were you. That old generic unit is a ticking time bomb for your rig. Not only is it weak and cheap, but it could easily fry everything else you have left in that PC. Honestly, it blows my mind that thing is even still running... 🤷
Just track down an older mouse. The real headache with modern hardware is what those tech kids always say—it’s not just about the mouse itself, it's the whole mess surrounding it. Support for Windows XP has been dead for ages, which means nobody is making drivers for it anymore. Windows needs those drivers to actually talk to the mouse, but if they don't exist, you're just stuck with a paperweight...
It's hard to give you a solid answer without more info. You haven't mentioned if the rig was running fine until now, if you've swapped any hardware lately, if you actually cleaned the thing out, or even which drive your OS is sitting on...
Was the SSD + HDD combo working okay for you?
That’s a solid new motherboard, so don't go jumping straight to replacing it. Is your keyboard plugged into a PS/2 port or USB? Sometimes USB keyboards act up when you're trying to hit the BIOS. If everything seems fine there, it might be a GPU issue. Try reseating the graphics card and double-check that every single connector is clicked all the way in...
If that doesn't do the trick, try resetting the BIOS...
Try checking for any hidden or temporary files in the directory where you were working, and take a look through your Word folders too. Honestly, for next time, just set up an auto-backup in Word—maybe every 5 minutes or so—so it automatically saves a copy at regular intervals...
If you stumble upon a file with a name similar to what you were working on, especially if it has an extension like .$$$ or .tmp, there might be something worth saving. Just a heads-up: be careful. If you find anything, copy it somewhere else first and work only on the copies. You don't want to accidentally butcher the data even further.
If that doesn't pan out, you could try some freeware file recovery tools; there are tons of them out there. Generally speaking, though, you should avoid writing or reading much to the disk. Every time you write new data, you're basically shrinking the chances of recovering what was lost...
It’s not $333 some magical dividing line, and budget printers can be perfectly fine, but Epson just doesn't have many models in that specific price range here in the States. If you need an all-in-one, go for it—but we all know the rule: fewer moving parts means fewer things to break. 😬
Yeah, the size constraints are a pain, but that's just the reality of it. There isn't much we can do about that part...
There are plenty of options out there. I've used both Epson and Canon, and you can always find cheap compatible ink for either; you just have to do a little homework on user reviews so you don't get burned. Personally, I've had great luck using Epson ink for both my Epson and Canon machines.
This little guy you linked is... well, he's not built for heavy printing, and you'll probably go broke just buying ink. It's a total hassle that it uses a single cartridge for the CMY colors; once one runs dry (and it's always one specific color that dies first 😬), you're stuck tossing the rest of them...
Honestly, I'm at a loss for what to suggest when your space is that limited. You're basically forced to hunt through models one by one and check the dimensions. There's no shortcut...
EDIT:
I just stumbled upon this one:
I'm not sure where else to find it besides Amazon (though I assume Canon USA should carry it), but the dimensions are 145x390x300 mm. It uses individual ink tanks and even supports a CISS setup.